Surgery was in June, will I regain this weight I'm losing?
I used to go to a lot of OA ( Overeaters Anonymous, a twelve step group for binge eating and eating disorders ) meetings years ago.
Many of my friends and acquaintances from there eventually got WLS. Most were pretty unsatisfied long term with their weight loss.
I hate to say this but this was true even of the group on my surgical floor- NONE of whom had ever heard of this website - or OA for that matter or looked for outside support at all...
Many of my " surgery brothers" (and sisters )had issues eating at all after surgery ( because they didn't follow or understand the plan - sometimes because of language issues ) and of course ended up eating like they did as pre ops which didn't help prevent regain.
I am sure noncompliance post op is a HUGE issue for WL surgeons - personally I'd be tearing my hair out. 
Especially when patients actually risk their lives stuffing themselves before their insides heal - or to the point of blocking or twisting their colons later which is also life threatening and can happen years post op.
If you follow your surgeon's pre and post post op regimen- mine was optifast shakes to lose a bunch of weight pre op - liquids only, then soft foods and then low-fat and low sugar items ( protein first ) forever combined with healthy exercise and minimizing sugary drinks and alcohol , you should never regain ....
hugs
Hi again, I think my plan is a stable one, so I'm going to see where it takes me with being compliant as possible. My medical team said no sugary drinks and no alcohol. No diet soda. I am not satisfied with water day by day, so I do iced tea with some equal and lemon. So far so good on the beverages.
Non-compliance must be frustrating for the medical teams, especially when they know people could lose and stay on a good path and they think they're ok, then an appointment comes up and they're surprised by the absence of weight loss by a certain time. I'm with you on tearing out the hair.
Thanks again for taking the time, sorry I'd missed this post!
I've come to realize too how vitally important detailed aftercare ( analyzing and discussing the results of a blood draw with your surgeons team or PCP) and effective daily vitamin supplementation are not only for mood and energy levels but also regarding regain.
I think our bodies fight back against deficiencies with irresistible food cravings and we can take in a LOT of unneeded calories when all we need is the ( right) mini-vitamin pill lol.
I was very lucky to have a young but knowledgeable and forward thinking WL Surgeon ( Dr. Parikh in NYU Langone Hospital) who makes sure his cheery staff calls every ex patient every six months to invite them in- " Dr. Parikh would like to see you !"...
That personal consultation with the surgeon and his team includes not just a very detailed blood draw and analysis, a weigh in and discussion of any weight changes , (a body composition analysis is also offered so those who work out can see their progress ), a nutritional consultation if needed and therapy referral if desired to a therapist specializing in post weight loss surgery issues.
He also refers ( and has his very efficient and helpful staff fill out the paperwork) for insurance covered skin surgeries during these consultations :)
He also organizes patient taught/aided post op and nutritional free weekly seminars and a yearly party whi*****ludes a runway walk for his successful ex patients .
He seems to have a far higher percentage of healthy, happy normal weight patients years post op than most and as a result is now getting a tremendous amount of well-deserved respect and honors from his colleagues.
Veggiewoman,
This is all such great information and I really wish that my program had such detailed aftercare. They do have aftercare, but I have not been presented anything so grand as what I'm reading about your surgeon's! So comprehensive. The idea that he advocates for his patients for skin surgeries that could be covered by insurance is wonderful.
Do you attend the yearly party? How many people usually go?
I'm glad to hear you have had such a great experience through this!
Like three hundred ! It IS a wonderful party with catered protein-forward delicious food and the families of the patients are also invited ( and do ) attend .
Its great to see everyone's progress year after year ... and yeah, some patients have experienced regain and this is where we talk about revisions ( he did a few that I know about ) about twelve step groups and sign up for the follow up groups Dr. Parikh and NYU Langone sponsor.
I don't understand why EVERY surgeon doesn't do this detailed aftercare - I'm sure they WANT to ... its probably just that the infrastructure provided by a giant institution like NYU Langone allows it.
I'm sure Dr. Parikh himself and his immediate team are busier than one-armed paper hangers just keeping up with the dozens of patients in the waiting room and who are scheduled for the operating room and post op care .
Veggiewoman, sorry I missed replying to this great information you shared. I don't know how I missed it. This sounds like the best program I've ever heard about, glad you're a part of it for your sake. It seems like a big bunch of successful patients would be good for a surgeon or program's reputation, but it must be a huge undertaking to detail it so much. Obviously you benefit from it, good to hear!
